Wire unreeling device

ABSTRACT

A manual unreeling device for a spool of wire is adapted to be pulled over the surface of the ground in a first position in which the rims of the spool act as wheels for rolling support of the device and an inverted second position where a pair of integral skids supports the device for sliding movement over the ground and holds the spool above and out of contact with the ground surface. The first position allows better control of the payout of the wire from the spool and the second inverted position is utilized when skidding of the rims on the ground because of the increasing differential between rim diameter and remaining wire coil diameter inhibits effective operation.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 08/046,205, filed Apr. 12,1993, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to wire unreeling device and, moreparticularly, to manual wire unreeling devices which carry a spool ofwire and are pulled over the ground allowing the wire to be played outfrom the spool.

Wire unreeling devices of the general type described above are wellknown in the art. When laying a string of wire from a spool, such asbarbed wire for a fence line, the ground surface which must be traversedis often rough and uneven and the barbed wire itself is often difficultto handle because of its inherently hazardous nature and tendency touncoil or backlash. Prior art devices which are intended to overcome theforegoing difficulties tend to become mechanically complex and somewhatunwieldly and difficult to manipulate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a wire unreeling devicesupports a spool of wire in one position to utilize the rims of thespool as wheels and in an inverted position to hold the spool above theground in a freewheeling manner. The device of the present invention isintended to utilize a conventional rimmed spool having a hollow hub, andthe device includes a rigid frame which has a main frame portionincluding an upper end comprising a handle and allowing the frame to bepulled manually over the surface of the ground. The opposite end of theframe is provided with a demountable cross shaft which extends throughthe spool of the hub to rotatably attach the spool to the frame. Theframe also includes a ground-engaging support adjacent the cross shaftand extending laterally away from one side of the main frame portion ina direction generally perpendicular to the cross shaft. The rims of thespool engage the ground and rotatably support the frame when it ispulled over the ground with the side of the frame including the groundengaging support facing generally upwardly away from the ground. Whenthe frame is inverted, the spool is held above the ground by the groundengaging support.

The main frame portion is preferably of a generally U-shapedconstruction with the bottom of the U comprising a handle and the groundengaging support comprising a pair of integral extensions of the legs ofthe U. The extensions preferably comprise a pair of curved skids.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the wire unreeling device of the presentinvention showing a spool attached thereto.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the unreeling device shown in FIG. 1 inone position of operation.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the unreeling device operating in aposition inverted from the FIG. 2 position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A wire unreeling device 10 carries a conventional spool 11 of wire, suchas barbed wire 12, and is intended to be pulled over the surface of theground to allow the wire to be played out from the spool, as when layinga fence line. The device includes a rigid frame 13 which includes agenerally U-shaped main frame portion 14. The bottom of the U-shapedframe portion 14 provides a handle 15 for pulling the device over theground. A reinforcing bar 16 extends between the legs 17 of the U-shapedmain frame portion 14 spaced from and generally parallel to the handle15. Nearer the ends of the legs 17 are attached a pair of bearing blocks18 which are positioned to receive the ends of and support a cross shaft20. The shaft 20 may be held in the bearings blocks 18 by any convenientmeans, such as cotter pins 21 extending through the ends of the shaftoutside the bearing blocks. By removing one cotter pin and moving theshaft axially, the spool 11 of wire can be rotatably mounted on theshaft by inserting the shaft through the hollow hub 19 of the spool.

The ends of the frame legs 17 are also provided with integral curvedextensions 22 which extend laterally away from the plane of one side ofthe frame 13 and are disposed generally perpendicular to the cross shaft20. The extensions 22 provide support for the device in one position ofuse and include curved ends 23 which operate as supporting skids in thatposition.

Referring first to FIG. 2, the device is shown in a first and preferablyinitial position of use, when a new full spool 11 of wire 12 is mountedon the frame 13. In this position, the end of the wire is secured andthe handle 15 may be grasped by the user and the device pulled in thedirection indicated by the horizontal arrow, allowing the rims 24 of thespool to act as wheels, rotating in the direction indicated by thecurved arrow to allow the wire 12 to played out from the spool and laidover the surface of the ground 25. As the wire is removed from thespool, the effective diameter of the remaining coil of wire wound on thespool hub grows smaller. The result is that a continually smaller lengthof coiled wire is available to payout with each revolution of the rims24, such that the rims will begin to overrun and skid as the device ispulled over the ground.

The rims of the spool will continue to turn less freely, whereupon theuser may simply invert the device by turning it over so that it issupported on the curved ends 23 of the support extensions 22. The usermay continue to pull the device over the ground in the indicateddirection and the wire 12 is free to unwind from the spool 11 in directresponse to forward movement of the frame 13. The curved ends 22 act assimple skids allowing the device to be pulled easily over the surface ofthe ground 25, including substantially uneven or rough ground.

In the inverted position of FIG. 3, care must be taken that theunrestricted rotation of the spool 11 does not result in uncoiling ofthe wire due to its inherent springiness which might result in abacklash or the wire leaving the confines of the rims 24. However, asthe effective diameter of the coiled wire remaining on the spool growssmaller, these problems tend to diminish somewhat.

Various modes of carrying out the present invention are contemplated asbeing within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing outand distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as theinvention.

I claim:
 1. A method for laying over the surface of the ground wirewound on a rimmed spool with a hollow hub comprising the steps of:(1)providing a rigid frame having a main frame portion including an upperend having a handle to allow the frame to be grasped and a lower endhaving demountable shaft means extending into the spool hub forrotatable attachment of said spool to the frame; (2) providing saidrigid frame with a ground-engaging support adjacent the cross shaft andextending laterally away from one side of the main frame portion beyondthe rims of the spool; (3) supporting the frame above the surface of theground on the rims of the spool with said one side of the main frameportion facing generally upwardly; (4) securing an end of the wire; (5)pulling the device by the handle to cause the rims of the spool to rollover the surface of the ground and to cause a selected initial amount ofthe wire to be unwound from the spool and laid on the ground surface;(6) inverting the device to place the ground-engaging support in contactwith the surface of the ground and to support the spool above thesurface of the ground; and, (7) pulling the inverted device by thehandle to cause the ground-engaging support to slide over the surface ofthe ground and to cause a selected additional amount of wire to beunwound from the spool and laid on the ground surface.